If Texas Hold Em Poker rules are simple, wait until you get the hang of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly… and no, we are not referring to the 1966 cowboy film starring Clint Eastwood. We are talking about a fun variation of poker… where the board determines gameplay!
Why Texas Hold Em is Tops for Tournament Play
If you have been around Juicy Stakes Poker for a while, you will know the action largely revolves around no-limit Texas Hold Em and pot-limit Omaha. That is in terms of our cash games. When it comes to our tournaments, well, it is Texas Hold Em all the way!
Besides affordable buy-ins, sweet starting stacks and, in the case of our Sundays-only events, guaranteed prize pools, what makes Hold Em a shoo-in for tournament play? It is the Texas Hold Em Poker rules that are the deciding factor. You don’t have to be a certified poker pro to sign up, login and play!
When it comes to Hold Em versus The Good and the Bad and the Ugly, here is a quick fact. There are more common denominators between the two poker variations than inconsistencies. The objective in both cases is to form the best hand corresponding to the traditional poker hand rankings.
Both games feature hole cards and community cards. According to the Texas Hold Em Poker rules, there are five cards dealt to the board over three stages of play. These cards are known as the three-strong Flop, the Turn and the River.
Mosey on across to the bar, saloon or your BFFs backyard – that is where The Good, The Bad and the Ugly Poker is likely to be played. What do you see? Rather than five cards on the board, there are only three. Here is the kicker. The community cards in our laid-back poker game can’t be used in the hand. Rather, they are the clearest indicators yet of how to proceed.
Community Cards Are Key to Determining the Outcome
Let’s look at the community cards, what they are and how they ultimately differ from Texas Hold Em Poker rules…
- The Good: The first community card, which by the way is initially dealt face down, is called the Good. Whatever rank this card has is wild. That designation pertains to all the cards… in the hand and on the table.
- The Bad: The second community card is the Bad. It is bad ass in the sense that all the cards of a matching rank have to be thrown away. Again, that applies to all the cards – hole cards included.
- The Ugly: The third and final community card is the Ugly – and that is a more than appropriate moniker. Any player holding cards of a matching rank have to forfeit their hand. As you can see, the role of the community cards is what differentiates one form of poker from the other.
How about the betting and gameplay? Well, as we know from the Texas Hold Em Poker rules, the small and big blinds are forced bets that initiate the betting preflop. Thereafter the action occurring on each street is preceded by a round of betting. Players have the option to call, raise, fold or check.
Key Differences Between The Good, The Bad and The Ugly & Texas Hold Em Rules
In the Good the Bad and the Ugly, players ante up before any cards are dealt. The deal is unlike Hold Em poker, where each player gets two cards face down. In this unique form of the game, each player gets two hole cards and one up card.
At that point, the three community cards are dealt to the board face down. This is followed by the first round of betting. Thereafter, each of the three community cards is eventually turned over, starting from left to right.
Players are then dealt one face up card prior to each turn – with the exception of the card dealt before the third community card. That card is dealt face down. A betting round takes place after each turn.
The action is commensurate with that outlined in the Texas Hold Em Poker rules. In other words, players can call, raise, check or fold. The only exception is the players who are forced to forfeit their hand based on the ranking of the Ugly card!
After the final round of betting, the showdown occurs. The player with the best poker hand wins, regardless of whether they are holding five cards or less.
In The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, players only have five cards at their disposal to construct a winning poker hand. These are the cards that are dealt to them over the course of the round. The community cards are off-limits.
As we know from the Texas Hold Em Poker rules, Hold Em players have a slightly easier task. They have seven cards that can be used to create a bankable poker hand. Their two hole cards and the three community cards on the table are all fair game.
Join Juicy Stakes Poker – Play Poker & Earn Comp Points!
Will Juicy Stakes Poker feature The Good, the Bad and The Ugly? Maybe one day! In the meantime, we’ll let the legendary spaghetti western get the rave reviews online. Right now, we are focussing on providing the best cash games and tournament play, with the Texas Hold Em Poker rules guiding the way.
If you want to take a seat and play poker online for low, medium or high stakes, sign up at Juicy Stakes. Besides our cash games and full tournament schedule, every dollar raked is duly rewarded with comp points. Comp points equate to valid ‘currency’ that you can use at both our Juicy Stakes poker room and online casino!
